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Guidelines on Tobacco Products Packaging Not Being Adhered to in India

by Kathy Jones on Nov 23 2012 8:52 PM

 Guidelines on Tobacco Products Packaging Not Being Adhered to in India
A new report has suggested that pictorial warnings on packaging for tobacco products in India do not meet the internationally stipulated size parameters.
The report, Cigarette Package Health Warnings: International Status Report, points out that pictorial warnings in packets of tobacco products in India fall short of the stipulated 50 per cent of the display area, even after two rounds of revisions of warnings in 2009 and 2011.

The report, released in the Conference of Parties to the WHO Framework Convention of Tobacco Control (FCTC) that concluded in Seoul last week, shows that health warnings in cigarette packets in India only cover 40 per cent of the front face of the packet.

Brought out by leading Canadian non-government organisation, Canadian Cancer Society, in October 2012, it says India has fallen 23 places in the ranking of countries on depiction of health from 100 in 2010 to 123 in 2012.

Article 11 of World Health Organisation's FCTC, which India ratified in 2004, requires that health warnings "should be 50 per cent or more of the principal display areas but shall be no less than 30 per cent of the display areas".

The International Status Report says Australia leads in pictorial warnings occupying 82.50 per cent of the principal display area, while Sri Lanka comes second, with pictorial warnings covering 80 per cent of the front and back covers of the packet.

Source-IANS


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